From The Press, New Zealand - September 10, 1996

A video wall will be erected in Cathedral Square to relay a speech by the Dalai Lama from Christchurch Cathedral on Thursday.

On his last visit to Christchurch in 1992, 2000 people could not get into the Town Hall to hear the Dalai Lama and the organisers know that many hundreds will have to watch in the Square for this visit.

Already 4000 tickets have gone for his talk in Wellington on Wednesday and organisers are trying to find another venue to connect with a video link.

Some seats will be taken out of the Christchurch Cathedral to enable more people to stand inside. Places (seating and standing) will be on a first-come-first-served basis. An organiser, Margo Every, said interest in seeing the Dalai Lama was high and she had heard of people coming from all over New Zealand and overseas.

The doors will open at 4pm and the cathedral is expected to fill quickly.

The Dalai Lama, leader of more than 340 million of the world's Buddhists, will arrive in New Zealand today and will have engagements in Wellington tomorrow, including separate meetings with the Prime Minister, Jim Bolger, and the deputy Prime Minister, Don McKinnon, and afternoon tea with politician members of a lobby group for Tibet.

On Thursday, after a 7.30am address in Wellington, he will go to Nelson for to speak in Trafalgar Park. He will arrive in Christchurch later and be met in Cathedral Square by the Mayor, Vicki Buck, who, after a powhiri conducted by the Rev Maurice Gray, will escort him to the cathedral.

At the cathedral steps he will met by the Dean, the Very Rev John Bluck, and escorted into the cathedral.

The Dalai Lama's talk, entitled "Celebration of Kindness Universal Responsibility", is one of five talks he will give in this country which will deal with the same theme, although each will be different.